Kenneth Pittman, UBC Thunderbirds
VANCOUVER – The visiting Calgary Dinos scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 36-21 Sunday afternoon at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
"We lost the ball too easy, they're a good team and they scored some good tries to finish with," said UBC head coach Dean Murten. "We are playing some good rugby, it's just some of the individual errors that we need to cut out of the game, and that will come with time and practice. Some of these girls are first year players and this is the first time they have experienced this, so it's just time and reviewing things so we're not making these same mistakes again."
The 'Birds (2-1) opened the scoring in the seventh minute when second-year lock Kimberley Brown was able to muscle her way over the try line giving UBC an early lead. The Dinos (3-0) answered back seven minutes later, thanks to Taejah Thompson who put her team on the board, when she broke off a long run into the try zone.
The teams exchanged tries the rest of the half, but the T-Birds were able to come out on top and take a 21-12 lead going into the break. UBC was led offensively in the first half by their front line, who continuously got penetration through the Dinos defence.
"We knew we had a powerful pack and they did really well in the first half," said Murten of his front row's effort.
This game was two-faced for the 'Birds. They came out in the second half with the same energy as the first and dominated the second half for the first fifteen minutes. That is until Thomspon was able to break off another long run, this time down the right side of the field, diving into the corner of the try zone giving her team a much needed spark.
The Dinos went on to score three more tries in the second half coming away with the 36-21 victory. The Dinos were led offensively by the aforementioned Thompson and third-year fly half Emma Newton as they recorded two tries each.
The Birds drop to 2-1 on the season with their first loss of the season. UBC now has a quick turn around as they head to the University of Victoria next weekend to take on the Vikes for the second leg of the Legends Cup rivalry in what will be a tough and physical matchup. UBC won the first meeting, 26-24, to open up the season.
The Dinos, meanwhile, return home to put their undefeated record on the line against the Lethbridge Pronghorns next Sunday.
PHOTO: Wilson Wong/UBC Thunderbirds